Impending Annihilation - Idiopathic Osteonecrosis Of The Femoral Head EP

Labels: Gore House Productions

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 19 Apr 2024

Tracklist:

1. Rapidly Destructive Coxarthropathy

2.  Idiopathic Osteonecrosis Of The Femoral Head

Death metal has taken influence from a whole host of pathological/morbid subjects ever since it's inception. From the early days of Carcass when death and grind mixed to the guttural technicality of Cannibal Corpse, the gory side of the sub-genre has always been pushing forward. There are many reasons for that thanks to labels like New Standard Elite, Pathologically Explicit Records and of course, Gore House Productions.

Gore House released the newest two-song EP from Japanese tech/brutal death metal duo Impending Annihilation in April, after what was a seven year hiatus for the band. Starting out in 2015, they self-released a demo, an EP and an album before their sudden halt. With their second album on the way, this release acts as a mere sliver of what's to come.

Reading about Impending Annihilation before writing this review got me all excited. I love old-school death metal and won’t turn my nose up at slam/brutal death metal either; however, I’ve grown to really love technical music over the last few years and this ticks all the boxes. The EP’s first song ‘Rapidly Destructive Coxarthropathy’, while ostensibly being a brutal song, is chock full of excellently played virtuoso guitar/bass work. The percussion is utterly smashing while the vocals are pretty much as you’d expect, gnarly and thankfully on the right side of becoming pig-squeals.

The title-track ‘Idiopathic Osteonecrosis Of The Femoral Head’ is an even briefer affair at one-and-a-half minutes. Despite it’s short length, it’s chock full of technical riff-wizardry and general extreme intensity. Before you even have time to settle in, the EP is over. Impending Annihilation definitely know how to tease the listener as these two tracks really don’t seem like enough. Clever ploy though and one that does work. 

Chances are (and correct me if I’m wrong), you’ll be unfamiliar with Impending Annihilation. With a brand new album on the horizon it’s a perfect time to discover them, especially if you like your death metal fast and technically tight. It only take four minutes to realise what you’ve been missing.

You can stream and purchase the EP as a digital download from Gore House Productions below:-

Impending Annihilation - https://www.facebook.com/impending.annihilation

CD copies are available from Gore House here - https://store.gorehouseproductions.com/collections/cd/products/impending-annihilation-idiopathic-osteonecrosis-of-the-femoral-head

Gore House Productions - https://www.facebook.com/GoreHouseProductionsOfficial

Thirteen Bled Promises - Foundation

Labels: Lacerated Enemy Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 22 Oct 2021

Tracklist:

1. I Stole Alien Technology From A Dead Fucking Alien And Now I Am Fucking Immortal

2. Hell Froze

3. Intergorelactic

4. A Humanless War

Spain isn't a country I visit much on this blog. That's where tech-death/deathcore band Thirteen Bled Promises come in though. From the Spanish capital Madrid, the quintet formed in 2006 (then called Thirteen Bleed Promises). Under that name they released one demo before changing it in 2010. Since then, they've gone on to release a second demo, two full-lengths, some singles and most recently, their newest EP Foundation. It was released last October via Czechian label Lacerated Enemy Records.

Here we go then, a voyage into the semi-unknown. ‘I Stole Alien Technology From A Dead Fucking Alien And Now I Am Fucking Immortal’ is as blistering as openers get. The drumming is warp-speed, while the guitar work is pure death metal with a technical edge. The vocals are slightly blackened but definitely routed in the modern era. There are slams too, but they’re kept at bay by the melody and atmosphere that is created by the guitars. I’m not afraid to say that this song surprises me and surpasses my expectations so far.

The thing with tech-death for me is that it can go by in a blur of blastbeats and squeals, but that isn’t the case with Thirteen Bled Promises. ‘Hell Froze’ still has that element of brutality but there’s a lot more to it than meets the eye (or ear). The amount of music that’s shoehorned into it as a song is pretty impressive. That goes for the rest of the release too.

Thirteen Bled Promises are not a gore-death band, preferring instead to focus on cosmic/space imagery and themes. ‘Intergorelactic’ is a genius song title though and it opens with a great barrage of riffs that point towards the early-mid 00’s era of metalcore, without affecting the momentum of the death metal on show. I love instrumental tech-death (which isn’t practiced anywhere near enough now). These guys pull it off brilliantly here for almost half of the song’s length. The other half is made up of their epic extremity in it’s full glory.

EP closer ‘A Humanless War’ is probably the most brutal song on Foundation, pace-wise anyway. It’s also where the band’s blackened elements are more obviously heard. As verbose and pretentious as my writing is here, I can honestly say that these four songs have made me truly appreciate brutal/tech death again. There aren’t many bands now that can make me feel that way and there won’t be many in the future either. Thirteen Bled Promises are definitely one of the good ones.

FFO: Vulvodynia, Brand Of Sacrifice, Cerebric Turmoil, A Wanted Awakening

You can stream and purchase Foundation digitally below:-

Physical copies and merch can be purchased from Lacerated Enemy Records below:-

https://laceratedenemy.bigcartel.com/artist/thirteen-bled-promises

Thirteen Bled Promises - https://www.facebook.com/thirteenbp

Lacerated Enemy Records - https://www.facebook.com/laceratedenemyrecords

Ergodic - Ergodic EP

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: Digital

Release Date: 09 Mar 2020

Tracklist:

1. Exalted Ignorance

2. Veil Of Dementia

3. Lashed To Control

I cannot wait for the forthcoming long weekend. I know I can't go anywhere but that means I'll have time to write. I have a schedule of releases I want to talk about, so expect three reviews a day across the four days starting Friday. I'm going to try and mix it up as much as possible too. In the meantime though, here's a brand new release from last month. It's the first release from North Carolina (US) tech-death band Ergodic. It was the artwork that attracted me to this EP and then I found out that the quintet features an ex-member of Circle Of Dead Children (Willowtip Records), to name but one. Once again, look at that artwork!

I could not be more ready for this! Opening song ‘Exalted Ignorance’ is pure tech-death except it contains a lot more melody in the leads than a lot of other bands from the genre. That’s a good thing to my ears, because it’s interesting and even if the tempos/technicality make your head spin, at least it’s gonna be engaged while it does so! The drumming, bass/guitar and gutturals are all top notch, which isn’t surprising given the collective experience of Ergodic’s members.

As with every of band of ilk, there’s no letting up at all. ‘Veil Of Dementia’ pretty much picks up where ‘Exalted Ignorance’ left off. There’s some truly virtuoso guitar work throughout the song, which sits perfectly alongside the rest of band, who put in equally impressive performances. It’s not often that death metal this brutal truly excites me, but this hits the spot.

Final song ‘Lashed To Control’ ends this power-trio of an EP is superfluous style. Blisteringly fast kick-drumming is joined by instrumentation that switches between a similar tempo and what seems like half-time, leading to off-kilter madness of epic proportions and those vocals, that once again just top it off. 

I’m going to pull an obscure tech-death reference out of that bag here but this EP gives me that same feeling as when I first heard the 2011 debut EP Rebirth from fellow US tech/progressive band A Wanted Awakening. You can read that review (minus the digital EP stream) here. Basically to put it into perspective, that band and that EP was a revelation for me and nothing has come close since in terms of modern day technical death metal, until now. Ergodic are supreme and if this is anything to go by, their debut album is going to be nothing short of epic. 

You can stream the full EP and purchase it as a name-your-price download below:-

Ergodic - https://www.facebook.com/ergodicmetal/

Vale Of Pnath - Accursed

Labels: Willowtip Records

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date; 17 May 2019

Tracklist:

1. Shadow And Agony

2. The Darkest Gate

3. Skin Turned Soil

4. Accursed

5. Audient Void

6. Obsidian Realm

7. Spectre Of Bone

Following my quick-fire review of UK melodic death metal act Foul Body Autopsy over the weekend, I wanted to carry on in the same vein and when I noticed the name Vale Of Pnath peering at me amongst a barrage of emails, I knew what I had do to. Vale Of Pnath is a band that I've been familiar with for a long time. Dating back to 2006, they've made waves with Tribunal Records and more recently Willowtip Records, who've been a safe haven for many a tech-death leading light in recent years. Three years on from second full-length "II" come this new EP, which should show 2019 what true US tech-death is. 

The Willowtip Records I remember was the one featuring Crowpath, Carphanaum and Arsis. The label fell off my radar for a while but thanks to Vale Of Pnath and their latest EP, the label is well and truly back in plain sight. The ambient/electronic opener Shadow And Agony is fearsome as it prepares you for the bludgeoning to come. Vale Of Pnath does not disappoint as The Darkest Gate reigns over you with pummelling drums, high-pitched shrieks and bass/guitar fretboard mayhem. This is extreme in every way, yet VoP manages to throw in plenty of melody to ward off those evil demons.

This is a slickly produced record it has to be said, but not the detriment of VoP of their chosen sound. Skin Turned Soil features subtle electronic/symphonic elements that nestle beneath the other instrumentation and who’s textures really help bring it all to life. There’s no rest between Skin Turned Soil and Accursed. On Accursed VoP manages to fit an insane amount of music into not much time at all. Most of that time is filled with absolutely barbaric kick-drumming and precise guitar-work that proves exactly why the band is praised so highly. 

After the brief but creepy ambience of Audient Void, it’s back to the intensity with penultimate song Obsidian Realm. The break in VoP’s death metal actually helps their music to stand out more and its no exception here. Longer in playing time and more technical from the off, it’s hard to keep up and even with the melancholic mid-section, there’s no solace to be had. “Accursed” acts almost like a throwback to when technical death metal was snapping at the heels of it’s more mainstream melodic cousin. That’s not a disservice though, as this is both brutal and infectious at the same time. 

EP closer Spectre Of Bone takes things to a terrifying conclusion. Terrifying only because of the virtuosity of the band’s playing. Song-structures throughout this EP are perfect and nothing so far this year in tech-death terms gets close to “Accursed”. Vale Of Pnath has already proclaimed that 2019 will be their biggest year yet and it’s hard to argue with them after hearing this. Absolutely brutal. Just you try and keep that grin off your face while blasting this!

You can stream the title-track "Accursed" via Vale Of Pnath's bandcamp page below:-

You can pre-order the EP on all formats (vinyl, cd and digital) above too.

Vale Of Pnath - https://www.facebook.com/ValeOfPnathCO/

Willowtip Records - https://www.facebook.com/willowtip/

Irreversible Mechanism - Immersion

Labels: Blood Music

Formats: Vinyl/CD/Digital

Release Date: 14 Sep 2018

Tracklist:

1. Existence I: Contemplation

2. Existence II: Collision

3. Abolution

4. Simulacra

5. Footprints In The Sand

6. Beyond

7. Limbo

8. Immersion

9. Awakening

Yesterday was a wasted day for me, as I partied a little too hard on Friday night. I feel fresher today though and ready to give this new album a spin from Belorussian progressive metal band Irreversible Mechanism. It's still fresh, as it was only released just over a week ago by Blood Music. It's the band's second release following their 2015 debut "Infinite Fields". You can buy "Immersion" now on cd, double LP and digitally.

Progressive/Technical death metal always promises a lot, but I often feel a bit underwhelmed after listening to it. I’ve never quite understood why that is, but it could be down to my musical tastes altering as I get older. I’m hoping Irreversible Mechanism will be different but as opening track Existence I: Contemplation starts with ambient synths that make up half of the song, I’m still not convinced. When the second half of the song sees the band open up more, there's a glimpse of what’s to come with a brief hit of their extremity and some very good musicianship that leads to a classy solo. 

Existence II: Collision is more like it. The band launches straight into it with on unnecessary build-up and immediately shows off their musically ability. The good thing about it is that even with the frenetic drumming and guitar-work, the pace seems to be at the right end of the spectrum enjoyment wise. The mix of harsh roars and clean singing also works really well. As with many bands that perform with progression in mind, the songs on “Immersion” are lengthy. Abolution stretches to nearly six-and-a-half-minutes and as the album title suggests, it requires your full attention. I think what sets Irreversible Mechanism apart as they progress is their ability to play with sensitivity as well as aggression, and being able to inject variation into their music. Pleasantly surprised at the moment.

They revert back to a more electronic/ambient sound on Simulacra. The organ gives it a sinister edge and the otherworldly electronic effects are well placed. The noise level builds in layers as more effects and vocals come into play, moving the song from being what could have been a lengthy interlude and turning into something more. There’s a real sense of purpose about Footprints In The Sand. Again it’s main verse is preceded by a lengthy instrumental build-up but when it gets going properly, it again highlights the band’s agility and brutality. It’s the standout track on the album for em due to it’s different movements and melody.

The second half of the album it stronger and more focused with Beyond being easily the heaviest piece so far. It’s tempo also raises up a few notches for good measure. Limbo follows and that title is quite apt, because it’s calming music and short playing time sort of leaves you in limbo following the intensity of Beyond. It does contain another solid piece of guitar virtuosity though. Limbo flows into the title-track perfectly and what follows is another barrage of kick-drumming and mind-bending riffs. There’s a lot to like on this record and despite my earlier uncertainty, this album is certainly growing on me. Closing track Awakening ends the album on the right note. Irreversible Mechanism have written an album that’s full of ideas, creativity and stellar musicianship. A lot of album of this ilk tend to sound too clinical in the production/mastering and while “Immersion” sounds clean and clear, it’s certainly not over-produced and It allows the band to give a great account of themselves.

You can stream "Immersion" via Blood Music's bandcamp page below:-

"Immersion" is available to buy digitally and on cd (a limited quantity is still available) from the bandcamp page above and vinyl copies can be purchased here - https://www.blood-music.com/store-eu/irreversible-mechanism.

Irreversible Mechanism - https://www.facebook.com/IrreversibleMechanism/

Blood Music - https://www.facebook.com/BlooodMusic/

Dischordia - Binge/Purge EP

Labels: Self-Released

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 15 Jun 2018

Tracklist:

1. Binge

2. Purge

I'm going for a bit of a Sunday afternoon booze session later on, so thought I'd get some writing done early. This is the latest EP from Oklahoma City (Oklahoma, US) technical death metal band Dischordia. It was self-released in the middle of June by the band and it follows their 2016 full-length "Thanatopsis". The trio formed in 2010 and to date they've released two EPs and two full-lengths prior to  "Binge/Purge", which features just two tracks but clocks in at nearly fifteen minutes, so there's plenty of music to get stuck into here. 

Dischordia lists bands such as Gorguts and Ulcerate in their FFO section on bandcamp and they’re very accurate with that one. Binge is full of technicality thanks to the riffs that are all over the place, the bass which is jazzy underneath, the powerful drumming and of course the obligatory harsh, deep vocal bellows. It’s slow at times, thrashy at others but also heavy without being too “br00tal”. This is awesome and it reminds me a so many of the incredible death metal bands that I’ve come across over the years, like Pyrrhon and Okazaki Fragments to name a couple. Dischordia certainly knows how to right music that’s for the thinking man while still raging. They fit in a gloriously techy/mathy instrumental passage later on just to add to the boatloads of progression that already call the song home. 

Second song Purge starts off with a slower and more menacing tempo, with strange noise accompanying the drums and vocals. It’s a doom-like affair with the heaviness dialled-up a notch. A more straightforward approach might be what you think of initially and I guess you’d be right, but whereas Binge was mental from the off, Dischordia builds the technicality up slower here. It’s a really clever nuance to use as you don’t quite know what to expect as the song progresses. The flute-lead passage towards the end of the song is a welcome change of pace and again it highlight’s Dischordia’s willingness to experiment without relying on the same old genre trappings. This EP is great and Dischordia is certainly a band that assert themselves. More researching and listening is required with this band for sure. 

You can stream and purchase "Binge/Purge" on CD or digitally below:-

Dischordia - https://www.facebook.com/dischordiaband/

Bloodshot Dawn - Reanimation

Labels: Hostile Media

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 12 Jan 2018

Tracklist:

1. Seared Earth

2. Graviton Nightmare

3. Survival Evolved

4. Upon The Thrown Of Fear

5. Controlled Conscious

6. Soul Affliction

7. Shackled

8. Battle For The Omniverse

9. DNA Reacquisition

10. Reanimated

What better way to relax after a brain-smashing day at the coal face than by jamming some equally brain-smashing technical death metal. This is the latest full-length from Southern England's Bloodshot Dawn, which was released by UK label Hostile Media in mid-January. This is Bloodshot Dawn's third full-length and it's been three-and-a-half years in the making. They're really starting to gain proper momentum and after celebrating their 15th anniversary during their recent UK tour, they're due to tour Canada in April and Japan in the near future.

Bloodshot Dawn’s transition from a straight-up groove laden death metal band to the technical beast you hear before you has been impressive. On “Reanimation” they really nail it and it all begins with Seared Earth. Blistering drumming is met by thunderous bass, futuristic leads and harsh growls to produce a death metal album full of real quality. These first four or so minutes set the tone for something incredible. Their sound is full of modern touches, what with the subtle electronics that sit beneath the heaviness and the production that brings everything together on Graviton Nightmare, yet both the song and Bloodshot Dawn themselves sound very much rooted in the genre. 

What is surprising though is just how much straight-forward metal influences this record. Survival Evolved features some super catchy lead-work and it’s matched by the song-writing too. They include some thrash-like rhythms in Upon The Throne Of Fear and the duelling guitars take things one step further. The bass riffs that bolster Controlled Conscious are great and the further you get into “Reanimation”, the more you’ll find yourself grinning and headbanging with abandon. It’s just ridiculously listenable and for a death metal album, that’s not an easy task for a band to pull off. 

You might feel a slight sense of nostalgia when listening to the verses of Soul Affliction, because it definitely leans more towards the groovier end of the spectrum, albeit without losing all of BD’s progressive nous. There’s still no escaping the futuristic nature of Bloodshot Dawn on “Reanimation” and it’s more than obvious on Shackled. I don’t honestly think that you’ll find a better band than them playing technical death metal at the moment. Battle For The Omniverse has a tempo that’s unrelenting and it rages the hardest of any song on “Reanimation”. The bluesy/experimental solo that bridges the first and the second halves of this six-minute monster must be heard to be believed and the progression carries on through the rest of the song, which makes for a jaw-dropping few minutes. 

DNA Reacquisition is a great title for this penultimate instrumental, as that’s pretty much what it does to you. After getting this far you’re brain will have been reprogrammed to the ways of Bloodshot Dawn and there will be no turning back from here. It’s left to Reanimated to finish the job and it does so in glorious fashion. Damn this album is so good. The fact that we have this talent on our shores is incredible and I think that this year will be Bloodshot Dawn’s for the taking. 

You can stream "Reanimation" and buy it both digitally and on CD via Hostile Media below:-

Bloodshot Dawn - https://www.facebook.com/BloodshotDawn/

Hostile Media - https://www.facebook.com/hostilemedia/

Apophys - Devoratis

Label: Ultimate Massacre Productions

Formats: CD/Digital

Release Date: 22 Jan 2018

Tracklist:

1. Children Of The Stars

2. The Verdict

3. Xiux - The Parasite

4. Matters Unresolved

5. Deadlock

6. Respite (Interlude)

7. What We Will Be

8. Retaliate

9. Occasus

Saturdays are the best. I spent the afternoon record shopping and cooking. I'm now relaxing with the soon-to-be-released 2nd album from Dutch tech-death band Apophys. "Devoratis" is due for release on cd and digitally via Czech label Ultimate Massacre Productions on January 22nd. At the back end of last year, Apophys supported both Exhumed and Aborted in The Netherlands and they've been getting a fair amount of press coverage in relation to this new record. While they may be a new name to some, their ranks feature a collective of musicians with a lot of experience. 

With America seemingly leading the way in the tech-death stakes of late, it’s left to bands like Apophys to wrestle the upper-hand back for Europe. Early signs are positive on album opener Children Of The Stars. Blistering percussion, off-kilter riffs, thunderous bass and a mix of low growls and clean bursts of vox batter you from all angles. The Verdict adds pinch harmonics and occasional slams into the mix, all while retaining the faster-than-you-can-blink kick drumming. I feel like this song should finish the album with that title though! 

They exhibit a keen ear for old-school death on Xiux - The Parasite and inject the opening bars with plenty of atmosphere. It’s surprising to hear how slowing the tempo down slightly can make such a difference to their sound. It’s a good shift, even if it is only minimal. It’s also the first chance to hear the lead guitar soloing, which adds to the progressive nature of the song. It's not long after that Apophys presses the warp-speed button once more on Matters Unresolved. They will sit easily alongside Berlin’s Cerebral Turmoil in the technicality stakes that’s for sure! 

Deadlock is more of a straight-up grind/death song but it’s never too far away from some mind-bending signatures and unrelenting power. Apophys sees fit to make Respite an interlude and it does break up the brutality, though I’d argue that it’s not needed when the rest of the album is this fun. 

Crunching riffs are the order of the day on What We Will Be. The song itself sees another twist in direction from the band, at times heading into thrash-like territory albeit briefly. They never quite leave their tech-death path though and instead retreat to browbeat you some more. All that’s left now is for you to slowly turn to mush to the insanity of penultimate song Retaliate, which includes some added hardcore attitude amongst the guitar duelling. 

Rounding out the madness with Occasus, Apophys has written and performed an album that’s bewildering and impressive in equal measure. They said themselves on social media that “2018 would be their year” and it’s hard not to agree with them. Fantastically heavy and technically adept. 

You can stream both Deadlock and Retaliate below, where you can also pre-order "Decorates" digitally and physically via Ultimate Massacre Productions:-

Apophys - https://www.facebook.com/apophysdeath/

Ultimate Massacre Productions - https://www.facebook.com/ultimatemassacre/